Also today on Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved the nomination of Victoria Espinel to be the first White House Intellectual Enforcement Coordinator, better known as the "IP Czar." Here are the Judiciary Committee materials on Espinel, including her responses to the committee's questionnaire.

"The Internet is a global and highly distributed network of networks, with control centres not necessarily following national boundaries. This calls for a specific, targeted approach in order to ensure its resilience and stability, based on two converging measures. First, achieving a common consensus on the European priorities for the resilience and stability of the Internet, in terms of public policy and of operational deployment. Secondly, engaging the global community to develop a set of principles, reflecting European core values, for Internet resilience and stability, in the framework of our strategic dialogue and cooperation with third countries and international organisations. These activities would build upon the recognition by the World Summit on Information Society[25] of the key importance of the stability of the Internet."

Comment:Stability of internet sounds good, but what do they actually need to do to keep it stabil?

I say the transparency, the insurance of anonymity if not under criminal investigation has to be fundamental for the Internet as we know it will survive.

With the latest legislation in different countries, like the french HADOPI-law and the soon to come ACTA-agreement, i feel a cold shiver down my spine when i read about politicians wanting to "stabilize" the Internet.

EU Council deliberately obstructs access to ACTA documents

Brussels, 13 January 2009 -- The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) has filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against the EU Council for deliberately obstructing access to Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) documents. As stated by an other participant in the negotiations, the EU has agreed to keep ACTA drafts secret. This way the EU hinders the proper application of Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to documents. The FFII asks for immediate publication of the documents.

Public interest organisations are concerned ACTA may limit access to medicines, limit access to the internet, give patent trolls free reign and harm the most innovative sectors of the economy.

According to a New Zealand government website, participants in the ACTA negotiations "have agreed that the draft final text will be made public at the end of negotiations before governments consider signing."

FFII analyst Ante Wessels comments: "This implies that the EU has agreed to keep earlier draft texts secret. Regulation 1049/2001 for public access to documents does list some exceptions to transparency, but those exceptions must be interpreted and applied strictly. Making agreements to keep texts secret goes much further than allowed. The Council deliberately obstructs access to ACTA documents."

As a solution the FFII proposes that the documents have to be made accessible. The EU may also withdraw from the ACTA negotiations.

"28. Takes the view that the public interest in disclosure of ACTA preparatory drafts, including progress reports, and of the Commission's negotiating mandate should not be overridden by Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents(19) , and urges the Council to enforce Article 255 of the EC Treaty in such a way as to ensure the widest possible access to documents, provided that the necessary security measures are taken as required by data-protection law;"